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Appearance: Jasper is quite tall, standing in at exactly six feet. His skin is fairly pale and he has the body of an athlete. Rebellious to the era, Jasper maybe gets a haircut twice a year or so. Thus his black hair is generally shaggy and messy, which depending on the situation he may pull back into a small ponytail. He does however take more care of his sideburns and beard which he keeps fairly short. Just beside his right eye, his eyes being a bright blue, Jasper has a scar angled down toward his ear that is no longer then the length of a little finger. How he got that scar remains a mystery to all, as Jasper refuses to tell the tale.

Jasper dresses for the weather, and since he is most often up in Northern Canada all that you may see of him is his knee-length caribou parka, with the furry hood pulled up tightly around his head. He wears special trousers made with seal fur lining. His boots are also fur lined to keep him warm. Underneath his parka, Jasper wears a cotton shirt. When in a warmer environment, Jasper will obviously shed the fur lined clothes in favor of more suitable attire. Simply wearing trouser and a cotton shirt with a wool waistcoat, Jasper will occasionally wear his worn out frock coat, but not too often. He wears black leather boots with a good amount of buckles to them, hiding a small knife in his right boot. In addition to the knife on his boot, Jasper will carry with him his father’s old dirk and a musket for protection in the north.

Personality: Jasper can be a sly person at heart. Always looking out for what’s best for him, Jasper isn’t the most loyal person. So don’t be too surprised when you find a knife in your back, and that may not necessarily be metaphorically speaking. He can be charming at times, and know how to behave properly and sophisticated. Just because he knows how though, doesn’t mean he chooses too. Jasper often doesn’t care about the judgment others pass on him and can often be found at the closest pub once the day is done. When put under pressure Jasper can be a resourceful person, a skill that has come in handy when facing the bitter cold of Northern Canada. Jasper has a natural talent for mathematics, often having been pushed by his parents to exploit his talent. He however chooses not to, only using it when he needs to, which is mostly with making money.

History: Apparently born to an English father and a Canadian mother, Jasper never knew who his parents really were. Orphaned at a young age, Jasper grew up in on the streets of Toronto for most of his life. At the time of his parent’s death, Jasper was an only child five years of age. With no living family residing in Canada, Jasper was taken in by a seemingly kind man that had claimed to know the family. This man, George Smith, however ran a den of pickpockets. Once he was a little older, Jasper was taught the art of thievery and had to work if he wished to continue living under George’s roof. Beforehand, Jasper had just merely screened the area while the other children pickpocketed unknowing targets. But now that he was trained by George, at the age of ten Jasper had become a pickpocket himself. He quickly made a name for himself, becoming one of George’s best thieves and often would lead the group of young boys.

In Jasper’s fifteenth year, George, who was an old man to begin with, had become quite ill over the winter and so had passed the reins of leading the boys to Jasper. While George still owned the house and made his tenants pay-up to continue living there, Jasper ran all the shots as to who would be targeted or where he would send the boys. He continued running George’s den of thieves right up until his eighteenth birthday. On the night of his birthday, Jasper was caught by the police while on a burglary job of some rich family. Having faced several jail sentences in before, Jasper was fortunate enough to avoid a hanging but instead was transported up north as punishment.

Fresh off the streets of Toronto and with nothing but the clothes on his back, Jasper said good bye to the warm summers and moved up to a small northern community. Up north he was assigned to a team of explorers, and was told if he was caught stealing anything he would face certain death. During the expeditions, Jasper learned some basic survival skills and straightened out for the most part. Over the better part of a year, Jasper had slowly earned the respect of the other men on his team and was eventually treated as an equal among the men instead of “that thief from the south”.

Currently Jasper still lives up north with relatively the same team of men exploring the northern boundaries of Canada. He has occasionally returned to his thieving habits, but only does so he claims when it comes to a matter of survival. Having made a decent amount of money for himself, when Jasper was twenty he bought himself a Siberian husky, Aurora, who has joined the team’s dog sled team. Aurora is a loyal companion, and is very protective of Jasper, rarely ever leaving his side.

Here we are. I'm a little iffy on his history though, so I'll gladly change it if there's anything wrong with it.

Personality: He is distant from reality, and doesn’t really care about it. He normally is lost in some world that inspires him to write more, and can be seen as a constant dreamer. He’s nice, but can be stubborn if you catch him in that state of mind. He’s also a bit on the cautious side, just because of how he was raised. It did lead the some malicious intent, but he freely expresses it with the stories he writes.

He also is infatuated with skulls, they intrigue him. Anatomy in general does, as he likes to study it for the kills in his murder-mystery series. He can be seen countlessly at a Graveyard, one of his favorite places to be. It calms him, and visitors aren’t common so he can be isolated. He enjoys isolation, it helps him clear his mind and think. Even though he does enjoy talking to people, just being alone makes him work the best.

Appearance: To start off, Blanc stands at around 5’ 11 inches. He has bone white hair, and light grey eyes, covered by glasses. On the top of his head he wears a Black fedora on top, with a crest with a Skull silhouetted by a crescent moon, adorned onto the hat. He has pale, almost ashen, skin from his genetics. He wears an ebony vest that can be buttoned up, and a white, long-sleeved, Egyptian cotton undershirt underneath. To complement his shirt, he also has on Ebony pants made of silk, with a skull stitched with silk onto the left and right pockets. Around his neck is a Pocket Watch that helps him know the current time, and it is made of bronze. On his ear he carries a Pencil made out of oaken wood, and a new material that they call ‘Graphite’, and it has his insignia etched into it. His shoes are light beige, and made out of leather.

He then carries a Satchel that is mage out of cow’s leather. It is a dark black, and can carry about a total weight of 45 Pounds. In it is his writing notebook, which is filled with constant ideas for his work. It also contains a knife that has a polished, Mahogany wood hilt and an Iron blade. It also contains some food and other things that helps him go throughout his days.

History: Blanc was born to a wealthy family from France. The state he was born in was Virginia, but he always liked the area of Vermont more. His mother died when he was 8, it was a harsh blow that started him being cautious. His father, juggling him, and his older sister, was able to pull through for them because of his job as a Merchant. He moved to Canada when he was 15, even though he was too young to live alone, he still went, and stayed with an Aunt until we was of legal age of land owning. He still frequently visits his Sister and Father, and is currently going to do so.

While in Canada, he started writing. It was a simple hobby before, but it bloomed into a passion, the forest fueling his imagination with fantasies. He quickly became famous over his stories about the woods, but just ignores it. He goes on to the designated location in Washington, waiting for his history, and fame, unfold.

The last order is hateful in its unnecessary clarity
'Tomorrow, your death is sealed
No matter how much you fight it'

Name: Marina Silvestri (Though she sometimes goes by the name and alias "Pearl".)

Age: 24

Gender: Female

Occupation: Performer/Courtesan

Ethnicity: Italian-American

Appearance: Marina is a tall young woman standing at about 5'11". Her thick hair is long and black, coming down to her hips in loose waves when let down, and her eyes are a vivid ocean blue. While her skin is pale, it is far from perfect, with several old scars marring both her arms, and a tattoo of a mermaid on her upper-left thigh. Her breasts are generous and ample, and her legs are long, fitting for her job. Her eyebrows are of medium thickness and her lashes are long. While on the job, she fixes part of her hair into an updo, leaving some of her hair down, as she thinks that this is a more attractive look than a full updo. Her ears are pierced, and she often wears a pair of midnight-blue pearl earrings, a gift from one of the men she slept with, and the only one she still remembers up to now, despite having only met him for but a couple of weeks.

As "Pearl", Marina dresses in a fashion of the period that is meant to show off her assets and seduce men. She wears a low-cut ocean-blue dress with a stiff bodice that displays her ample cleavage. This bodice is decorated with vertical strips of black lace and its short, off-the-shoulder puff sleeves are also trimmed with black lace. The dress' skirt is long and flowing...at the back, and is much shorter in front, coming up to only mid-thigh, exposing her legs, which are covered in sheer black thigh-high stockings, as well as her deep blue satin pumps. Around her neck is a black lace choker. In an effort to cover up some of the scars on her arms, she wears black satin detached sleeves that start from just above her elbows and end in flared cuffs just past her wrists.

Marina tries as much as possible to separate her job from her real self, and tries her best to be seen as a normal young lady and thus, attempts to dress accordingly. However, her tendencies are hard to hide, and it is pretty easy to tell what she is even though she tries to deny it. She most often dresses in fashionable outfits with somber colors, usually in shades of black, midnight blue and deep teal. However, one can notice that despite wearing such, she has her habits. She never wears wide, full skirts, and nor does she fix her dark hair in the fashion considered the norm for proper young ladies, but rather, leaves hers flowing and loose, with minimal decoration.

Personality: Marina can be said to have two distinctive personalities: the one she reserves for her line of work and tries her best to mask regularly, and the "mask" she hides behind in order to fit in, despite her tendencies, though signs of the former still shows up more than rarely. She is naturally romantic and a flirt, as well as manipulative. She knows that she's beautiful and often uses this to her advantage in reeling men towards her, if only for their money, and she's pretty hard to resist if you're a hormonal male. This young woman hardly has any shame and is known to actually be aggressive, crude and lustful, often making the first move towards potential clients. She isn't very picky with her men, and can be said to have pretty bad taste because of this, as for her, money comes first before youth and looks, though the latter two are bonuses she certainly would like in addition to wealth.

Once the night and her job is over however, she transforms into a different person. Knowing full well that "women of the night" were looked down upon and never respected, Marina tries to hide this fact about her, fearing she would never fit in. Truth be told, this woman has a heart and is capable of more than just one-night stands and attraction, being compassionate, protective and emotional. In her mind however, nothing can erase the fact that she is a flower by the wayside, so she tries her best to seem that she isn't, whether it is for her pride or something else. The "mask" she wears transforms her into a seemingly normal young lady, elegant, a bit shy and soft-spoken, if a little coquettish at times when her habits surface. It's pretty easy to see that she's rather insecure and not very confident, often seen in the way she casts her eyes downwards whenever she talks to others or when she folds her hands behind her, which stems from how society would view her if she were found out.

Marina surprisingly loved - and still loves - one man in her life, whom she was certain loved her back as well. Because of this, she seems to refuse any romantic advances from anyone else, in hopes of seeing him again. It's not that she is extremely picky, but because when she loves, she loves very deeply and passionately and hardly ever forgets.

History: Smuggled to the United States at the age of six, Marina remembers little about her youth. Born in late 1841 to a poor couple in Venice, life was hard for her and her family. Because neither her parents were educated very well, they did not have much work, leading them to take on odd jobs to earn a little money to support her and themselves. All that time, they heard of opportunities in a country across the ocean called America, where they could perhaps start anew. Soon, they began making plans to move, mostly for Marina. Taking their chances, they stowed away in one of the immigrant ships headed to America...with very little money, the clothes on their backs and no papers. Though they managed to keep themselves concealed among the passengers, they weren't going to be together for long. Her mother, Vittoria, was one of the casualties on the journey, leaving her father, Giorgio, to raise her alone once they reached Massachusetts.

When Giorgio Silvestri died from a fire in the factory he worked at, Marina was only thirteen years old, leaving her an orphan. Kicked out of the tenement she once shared with her father, she lived on the streets for a few months until a seemingly nice middle-aged man approached her and offered her a place to stay. Marina did not know any better and decided to go with him. She was cold, weak and hungry and all she could think about was food and a place to stay. Unfortunately for her, there was a catch to the man's offer. She had a place to stay and food to eat, but it was not a house. The man turned out to be the owner of a cabaret, and Marina was to become a performer if she did not want to be thrown out to the streets again. As the years passed and as she was forcefully trained, Marina grew up to become a beautiful young woman, which only led the owner to exploit her as much as he could. She started fronting acts, given the name "Pearl", and was promoted to a courtesan, where she was set up with some of the cabaret's clients who were willing to pay for a night with her. Despite the degradation she felt when her body was being used, the glitter of gold was too much for her to try and stop. She had to support herself, and this was they only way she could do it without potentially starving. The money came, she had fine clothes and she had enough to eat, all at the expense of her dignity.

Over time, she learned to select her clients, choosing the ones who would pay more for a night with her. One of these she selected however, turned out to be so much more. Domhnall, or "Dom" as he liked to be called, was not like most of the others. While he was wealthy, he was also genuine and kindhearted, seeing past Marina's job and treating her differently, like she actually mattered and wasn't just someone to sleep with. While most of the men Marina slept with only lasted the night, Dom was different. Even after that night, he continued to visit her and keep her company. Marina started to fall for him. However, after two weeks, he had to depart. Promising her that he would return, he left for his home across the ocean, supposedly a place known as Ireland. Life returned to normal for Marina, and her routines continued. However, she never, every forgot him and his promise, even though a year had already passed since she last saw him.

~ Signature under Construction ~

| Lucian and Grimsley are mine. Touch and I will cut you. | That also applies to Houndoom. | Clock: Equal-To-Heaven |

Okay, I might as well put in a reserve. I think I'm gonna sign Zuri up in this after all, and this time I'm gonna have her be based in Salem, Massachusetts, where there's still plenty of anxiety about witchcraft, and strong tensions between pagans and Christians. I'm planning on making the place a highly religious town whose residents frown upon all scientific developments. I don't think the Puritans would have still been around by this time, but maybe the residents' faith is similar. Also the town would rely heavily on superstition and discriminate against all non-Christians, though prosecuting someone on the sole basis of being a witch is now illegal. Would this work?

Yeah, but Salem would be regarded for its history. Those who still believe in witchcraft in the like and are 'tense' about it won;t be liked by the surronding areas. Chrsitianity acks the stronghold in the US it has her ein the real world. It is 1865, so not sure how many of them would be left. Also the superstitious folk are kept an eye by the surrounding areas. Religious biogtry is not liked here.

RESEVRED

Last edited by DVB; 21st August 2012 at 7:13 PM.

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Platinum Friend Code: 0775-1254-2777

Yes. Technology would have still progressed and in a bit so. This is 1865 where the Civil War would have occurred but hasn't. Well, that would be some parts of Europe though they are steampunk compared to the America's clockpunk. Here is the thing, she could still suffer from religious bias from her town, but her town's bias is frowned upon so there is that. If you need any help, talk to me and I can arrange something

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Platinum Friend Code: 0775-1254-2777

Once Chili and Kiruria submit their character profiles, we will start this. If I am informed that they are almost done or if one of them does post it, we will start but we do not want to leave anyone behind

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Platinum Friend Code: 0775-1254-2777

OK, thank goodness! But fortunately, we won't have to wait much longer, unless Chili decides to take forever of course. So I finished my signup. Instead of Salem, I had Zuri be based in another area of Massachusetts that is famous for its history...

Occupation: None, besides household stuffEthnicity: American. Is originally of British lineage, but her ancestors have lived in America ever since British colonies started there.

Appearance: People like to call Zuri the "ghost", for she can be mistaken for one at first glance. Being an albino, her skin is very pale, and her eyes are such a light shade of blue that they look as if they are made of glass. Straight silvery-white hair flows halfway down her back, with slight hints of bangs on the sides. These like to blow back in a gust of wind, revealing earrings that look like inch-long amethyst spikes. Although her face is pale as everything else, it can easily turn a light pink at the sign of emotion. Otherwise her tendency to gaze off into the distance adds to the ghostly air about her.

There's nothing particularly special about Zuri's figure. Nobody's ever commented on it in any way. If anything, she looks a little on the fragile side, not being extremely skinny, but not having a whole lot of build either. She's anything but the athetic-type, that's for sure, given the only exercise she ever gets is carrying books around town. One can easily guess that she spends a lot of time indoors, which makes sense because she's highly prone to sunburn.

Zuri has a somewhat picky fashion sense. She'll never wear anything that's yellow, brown, orange, or red, and prefers to stick with a traditional style of clothing. Nor does she ever style her hair differently. However, she almost always wears some sort of jewelry, always wearing at least a necklace and a pair of earrings, and maybe in rare cases a bracelet or something. She always wears a piece of jewelry that once belonged to her late mother, in rememberance of what little she knew of her.

Zuri's most common outfit, the one she usually wears while exploring around town, consists of a somewhat simple long white dress, with lacy sky-blue trim at the bottom and at the ends of her mid-length sleeves. A blue ribbon also ties around her waist, and a blue floral pattern cascades down below it. On her feet are a pair of gray boots that lace up at the front and have slightly pointed toes. They look to be slightly worn, due to the amount of walking she does in them. Similarly, the bottom of her dress is starting to look more off-white, the blue floral pattern faded, from the times it's been washed and the dust it's collected. Over this, she carries around a grayish-blue satchel which always has a book or two visibly stuffed inside. A parasol which nearly matches her dress in pattern hooks over this satchel--since she burns easily, she never walks around in the sun too long without it. She also keeps a shawl in her satchel in case it gets cold. And currently she's wearing not one, but two necklaces. One is a simple little cross hanging just around her neck. Below it, a pendant featuring a silver rose and an amethyst spike identical to the ones on her earrings rests against the fabric of her dress.

Personality: Besides her appearance, one other reason why many people call Zuri the ghost is because of her relatively distant demeanour, and the solemn yet calm and mysterious vibe she gives off. She kind of drifts about the world, setting herself apart from it, a slight bit shy in terms of interacting with others, especially if they don't seem to have anything in common with her. But she is very good at remaining calm and relaxed, and she hardly ever panics in the face of danger (the most she'll do is complain about being weak). A ghost indeed--a living one, if that makes any sense.

One definite hallmark of Zuri is her interest in books. They are her most satisfying form of enjoyment, the one activity she can devote her focus and interest to. Zuri seems to like quiet, serene settings anyway--she hates noisy places and crowded gatherings. She likes to keep her mind in a hazy awareness, not exactly super focused, but not completely absent-minded--just a little in the clouds, with little or no worries to trouble their way through. This is almost the exact state she keeps her mind in while meditating, which she does quite often. With a highly spiritual nature, she keeps an open mind and accepts fate for what it is.

Yes, that is another hallmark of Zuri: her strong belief in magic. Some people have thought she was some sort of witch or mystic, and she considers that to be true, leaving many in mystery. The few religious people still around claim Zuri to have been "possessed" by the ghosts of her parents, which makes sense since they practiced witchcraft. It is true that the books Zuri most often reads are either books of shadows found in her parents' house, or fantasy novels. She believes that everyone is united by nature, and that the world has several dimensions (though she has no idea what those other dimensions are). In her everyday life, she makes quite a few spiritual affirmations, which are not so much prayers directed at herself, but blessings of various things and acknowledgements of fate.

However, the reason why this leads to her ghostly demeanour is her ambivalence about religion, and about her life in general, as explained in her History. As someone who is denied what she wants most, yet also as someone who lacks a rebellious nature, she frequently comes across as both sad and indecisive. Indeed, it is simply not in her nature to be outwardly against something. In a way she sees good in everything, even the things that seem to be most troubling to her. So she frequently vacillates on troubling issues, at least wanting to get rid of them in the most harmless way possible. Meanwhile her depression turns inward, meaning that she doesn't eat much, frequently spends time outside when it's cold and raining, or otherwise just lets a bunch of sad thoughts fill her mind. In her mind it's always a rainy day, yet somehow a flame keeps on weakly burning.

Besides the above, one obvious weakness Zuri has is technology. The advances of clockwork technology confuse her--she has no idea how to go about using any of them, except for the simplest household devices. A part of her is curious about how these things work, but she doesn't know how to go about learning such things. And probably because she's so focused on her own problems, she's remarkably naive as far as news and current events and latest trends go. That or she just doesn't care about any of those things. She seeks wisdom, not necessarily knowledge.

History: Ever since the "Enlightenment" came to America, there have been tensions between the Abbey and Watkinson families. The Abbeys were very religious people for the most part, being very involved in the church and other more traditional practices. But the Watkinsons had a combination of witches and scientists, believing strongly in the ideas of enlightenment that came over from afar. It was when a rebel among the Abbeys married a Watkinson that the history of Zuri started. For a while she lived rather happily with her parents, who had a good relationship with both her and each other, and lived in a decently-sized house in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Both parents were avid scholars of various magical practices, but Zuri was too young to understand what their spiritual beliefs truly meant.

However, just a few blocks away lived Zuri's grandmother, a true Abbey who regarded Zuri's parents as sinners and devil-worshippers, and was still in grief over the rebellious loss of her daughter. For the first three years of Zuri's life, she wasn't even important, because her parents could just ignore the pouting old crone and be done with it. But then came a day that Zuri will never forget: she discovered her parents in their seance room, lying under a blanket, motionless and cold to the touch. This really came as a shock to Zuri, especially since nobody had any idea exactly how or why they died. It would be a mystery that lingered in her mind from then on.

From then on, Zuri lived with her grandmother. Grandma thought Zuri's parents got what they deserved for "following an evil faith", and was all too glad to take Zuri in. She sought to purify her, to raise her to be a good Christian girl. Unfortunately for her, though, and fortunately for Zuri, there no longer existed any schools with a religious focus, and very few churches with any sort of prominence. All Grandma could do was keep Zuri around the house, protecting her from any other "evil influences" out there.

Whenever Grandma sent Zuri on an errand, Zuri made a habit of taking a side trip to visit her parents' house. She had heard from them that those who have died can be spiritually contacted, and so she hoped she just might discover the secret of their death by hanging around the house. But although once or twice she did see them floating about as ghosts, they never spoke a word to her. All they answered her questions with was a smile. A flat, untelling smile, rivaling the Mona Lisa's in its mystery. Still, she did find interest in the books in the house, especially those about magic and other spiritual topics. She especially enjoyed reading her parents' philosophical essays they wrote when they attended the nearby Harvard University. Zuri wondered what it would be like to follow in their footsteps...

By contrast, the errands she didn't like were ones that required her to travel into the nearby bustling city of Boston. The suburbs of Cambridge where Grandma lived was a quiet and peaceful area, even with the university nearby, but Boston was an entirely different animal. Lots of faceless people going about their daily business. Lots of unfriendly-looking buildings and shady characters. And most importantly, lots of complex gadgets that used to befuddle Zuri to no end. Clockpunk was highly prevalent here, and there was even talk about founding a new university that centred around its technology in the near future, one to be apparently based in Cambridge in the hopes of getting that area more technologically up-to-date. Zuri was not looking forward to that, that was for sure.

Naturally, Grandma was not pleased when she found out about Zuri's ventures to her parents' house, especially since she was taking home books from that place. Whenever she was feeling under the weather, she would blame Zuri on it, for bringing evil influence into the house. She even went so far as to burn one or two of the books in the fireplace. But devastating though that was, that was the worst sort of "punishment" Zuri ever received from her. Apparently Grandma didn't really have it in her heart to punish her in any other way. And Grandma still did a good job in taking care of her otherwise. Zuri especially liked it when she got to sample a herbal tea that Grandma was becoming locally famous for whenever she caught a cold. If there was one thing Zuri liked about her grandmother, it was her skill with herbal remedies. They even kept an herb garden, which she enjoyed tending to--provided she didn't have to work in the sun of course.

Zuri's parents' house could not stay abandoned forever, though. There eventually came a day when the government stepped in with orders to refurbish it, and apparently the ghosts of Zuri's parents had no trouble with that. To save any more of her parents' books from being burned though, Zuri opted for them to be donated to the library at Harvard. It made sense, since they studied there and all. And besides, this gave Zuri an excuse to visit that library on several occasions from then on. Grandma didn't seem to mind this as much as going to her parents' house, as long as she didn't bring back any books on any occult topics.

Over time, Zuri became quite well-known by the librarian at Harvard, due to her frequent trips there. Though Zuri was shy around most people, she at least accepted this relationship with the librarian because A) she knew he liked books, and B) he just might be able to help her become a student at the university herself someday. When she finally worked up the courage to ask him about that, he was sympathetic, thinking Zuri would make a great student. However, she would have to pass an entrance exam before being admitted, and since she didn't have much education completed before then, this was going to be a problem.

Well, there was a decent prep school in Boston where she could study for the exam, as the librarian pointed out, but there was still a problem: Grandma. Grandma would by no means allow Zuri to go after any type of higher education, believing it would be highly unnecessary for her. She believed that school had a very masculine nature to it, that education revolves around discipline and order and all you get handed in the end is a measly slip of paper. She believed there were many wonderful things a woman can do that didn't require a degree. However, she also believed that an absolute must for any woman is finding a husband. Zuri was in her teens by then, so it was time for her to start focusing on marriage and starting a family before she became too old to do so.

And Zuri saw where she was coming from. Now that she thought about it, if she did pass that entrance exam and got admitted into Harvard, she had no idea what she would want to study. She thought about studying philosophy like her parents, but wasn't too keen on having to write essays all the time. Math required no essays, but she was no good with that either. She could study medicine, and that was in fact the thing she was most interested in by now, but there were already lots of effective medicines that can be discovered in an herb garden, right? And Zuri wasn't sure how she could handle living in a dorm or dealing with classmates, and was used to doing stuff at home by now. But then again, the thought of marriage didn't excite her either, especially since she showed no interest in the church boys Grandma introduced her to. Nor did she really want to abandon Grandma, especially since she was overall nice despite her restrictions, and needed proper care in her old age.

Then one day when Zuri was at the library as usual, a mysterious cloaked figure entered, hunched over and coughing occasionally. Zuri could see some sort of strange symbol on the cloak, but it was one she had never seen in any magical texts. Apparently this man was in dire need of a particular book, and thus decided to come here despite his bad cold. Noticing this, Zuri offered him a bag of her grandmother's herbal cold remedy, and also helped him find the book he wanted. Without another word, the man thanked her and walked away with the book, hacking away as before...

A few days later, Zuri came into the library again to find the librarian waving a fancy black envelope at her, mentioning that the mysterious cloaked figure from before had left it here for her. First he thanked her for the cold remedy, saying it worked well and that he felt much better now. But then it got very strange, inviting her to some meeting all the way in Washington. The way he wrote the letter made it sound like he insisted on her being there, but Zuri wasn't sure she was ready for such travel when she hadn't been any place further away than Boston before. And Grandma would most certainly forbid her from such a journey...

So, as much as she didn't want to do it, she lied. At the time, Grandma was coming down with an illness she was sure wasn't a cold, and had asked Zuri to fetch her some medicine from a pharmacy in Boston. Zuri told her that the pharmacy there didn't have it, and that the closest pharmacy that did was in Washington. Though it was far, Zuri promised her that she would get her the medicine, and Grandma seemed thankful. Grandma even told her that she would buy her a beautiful wedding dress after she felt better. Zuri wasn't thrilled about the dress, but headed off to Washington anyway, deciding not to mind the awkward gear-powered car she traveled in to get there. Maybe at some point in her life she would just have to find out how these things worked...

Last edited by Kiruria; 3rd September 2012 at 11:16 PM.
Reason: Made Zuri older